Monday, April 19, 2010

Vacation??

Frolicking, playing, and having a fabulous time away from monotony of real life

under beautiful, sunny skies

Awesome isn't it?

If you're my parents....

Not us.

No.

We spent our "vacation" here

(that's Austin, TX by the way...a few hours up the road)

Frolicking...not really.

Playing...maybe a bit.

Time away from monotony...only briefly.

Under sunny skies?

Um...no.

This was our view for a good chunk of the trip.

But WHY?

Why were my parents in Vegas while we were in Austin?

Because they are old enough to be able to enjoy those sort of trips without having to worry about the added responsibility of taking children along.

And we will probably be their age before we can afford a trip like that anyway.

No, spending one night in Austin was about as much as we can financially stretch these days since I quit working to take care of Jude.

But there was a reason for our going to Austin.

Cecilia

Her 5th grade GT class was given the assignment at the beginning of the school year to come up with a community project that would be both a challenge for them and would be something that the school would be able to maintain for years to come. It would also have to help to fill a need in the community.

So after some debate, the group agreed upon the creation of a school clothes closet.

They would promote their project at school and in the community and receive used clothing that would then be sorted by them and dispersed as the need arose.

Not only has their project given to children in need at their own school, but they have also given to county services as well from what I understand.

Cecilia came up with the name of their project:

Wear-A-Smile

Because not only can the recipients now wear a smile along with their "new" clothes, but the givers can also wear a smile because of their ability to help others.

The project was then submitted by the GT teacher, Mrs. Simpson, to the Texas Future Problem Solving Program for review for an award.

The project placed first in the Human Services division.

And that is why we were in Austin...so that the group could be recognized and given their awards.

They had a bit of a "fair" set up before the awards so that everyone could see each other's projects. The groups ranged in age from 5th graders to high school.

The kids had to stand by their display and explain their project to anyone who stopped by.

There were about 15 kids who worked on the project, but these are the 7 that were able to attend the awards ceremony (wearing their handmade shirts)

Here they are being recognized and receiving their medals

We are so proud of her, not only for being a part of this, but for taking such an active role in it.

She not only named it, but also wrote a skit that was performed on the morning video announcements. She has realized just how much she enjoys being a leader.

I hope she continues to be a leader for the rest of her lifetime.

Back to Austin...

Terry and I spent many days hanging out in Austin...B.C. (before children).

If you've never heard of it...you should read a bit about it's history.

This is the place where Janis Joplin got her start.

And before they recently remodeled it, they had a table set up on the tiny stage where she stood and performed. I ate at that table once. Amazing.

Anyway, we did eat at Threadgill's and we did check out one record store this weekend because it was "Record Store Day" on Saturday.

But the days where we can spend hours scouring through old records and current CD's are on hold. The children (at this point) have no patience or appreciation for stinky old vinyl.

And during our drive around Austin it was nothing but nasty blah rain.

We were kind of glad to head back east towards home where it wasn't raining as much.

We also had yet to accomplish my goal of snapping some pics of the kids in the bluebonnets.

So we TRIED to do this on the way home.

The problem was that once we finally found a good spot to stop, Jude had already been asleep for a while.

And we had to wake him up.

Yeah...he can be quite grumpy if he wakes before he's ready to.

He would not partake in any of the flower-ness.

So this is what I got from him...

A bit calmer in Terry's lap, but still wouldn't get down in the flowers.

I did get a good one of Cecilia at least

Oh well, maybe next year there will be TWO smiling children sitting in these beautiful flowersAnd despite the weather's best efforts to ruin our weekend, I think that we all had a pretty good time overall. We got to spend some quality time together and everyone came through it safely.What more could I ask for?

(well, maybe a weekend excursion with my husband to Vegas would be nice :)

Extremely proud of Cecilia...congratulations, buddy.Who knows...if they continue the program, she can later look back and say "our team had a part in that"...Too bad Judie was Mr. Grumpy...I guess I'd feel the same way if someone interrupted my nap.

Anyways, to Cecilia, we are so, so, so proud of you. Remember something that Nana has heard recently, Givers Gain. If you give from the heart, you will ultimately gain rewards. This applies to your daily life and your spiritual life. You have to lead by example, and by being a part of this, you certainly are on the right path.